In The End, Strike May Help Some

April 11, 1992|By Paul Sullivan.

The National Hockey League strike may one day be known as the great equalizer.

When teams play their remaining two or three regular-season games, the layoff could make those contests little more than accelerated practices for those on playoff-bound teams. For many players, just getting one`s body and mind back on track for the opening round will be as important as winning.

Obviously, no team will have any momentum heading into postseason play. And that layoff could give the lesser clubs a slight advantage over the favorites, especially in the first few games of the opening round, when home- ice advantage can turn around in a flash.

Except for a few matchups, the playoff picture is nearly set. Here`s where everything stood when the puck was last dropped March 31:

- In the Norris Division, Minnesota maintains a four-point lead over Toronto for the final playoff spot and a chance to play Detroit in the first round. The Maple Leafs need to win their last three games and have Minnesota lose its final three to knock last year`s Stanley Cup finalists out of the playoffs. The Hawks have clinched home-ice advantage over St. Louis in the other Norris semifinal.

- In the Smythe, Calgary is five points behind Winnipeg for fourth place and an opening-round matchup against Vancouver, which has clinched its first title since 1975. On the verge of missing the playoffs for the first time in 17 years, the Flames have three games left, as do the Jets. Los Angeles has a two-point lead over Edmonton for home-ice advantage in their probable first-round matchup, and both have two games left.

- The salvaging of the season means the New York Rangers can breathe a sigh of relief in the Patrick. The President`s Cup winner with the highest point total in the NHL (103), the Rangers are seeking their first Stanley Cup championship since 1940. Until this year, the Rangers hadn`t won a title of any kind since 1942. Pittsburgh, last year`s Cup champions and still the highest scoring team in the league with 337 goals, is tied with the Islanders for third place. Both hope to avoid opening up the playoffs against the Rangers. Each has three games left.

- Everything is settled in the Adams. Division champ Montreal will meet Hartford in the opening round, and Boston gets home-ice advantage in its series with Buffalo.

As for individual honors, the Penguins` Mario Lemieux (126 points)

appears comfortably ahead of teammate Kevin Stevens (120) in the NHL scoring race. Montreal goalie Patrick Roy has the Vezina Trophy all sewn up. The 200 goals allowed by Montreal is 26 fewer than the Balckhawks, the next closest team.

For the Hawks, Jeremy Roenick will get two games to add to his 53-goal mark. Tying Bobby Hull`s team-record 58 goals is unlikely, but Roenick still has a chance to score 55, which would put him second to Hull on the all-time single-season scoring list.